PokerStars is set to target a new generation of players with the help of social media stars, Next Gen Poker.
The partnership will see Jack, Rosey, and Frankie from Next Gen Poker act as PokerStars ambassadors in North America.
Their first port of call will be a North American Poker Tour (NAPT) stop in Las Vegas on November 4. From there, the trio will create content at PokerStars Live stops around the world.
PokerStars aiming at new targets
Working with Next Gen Poker is a part of a two-pronged strategy designed to increase PokerStars’ presence in the US and, in turn, with younger audiences. Jack, Rosey, and Frankie describe themselves as three 23-year-olds who are “in love with the game of poker.”
This love of poker, combined with a talent for entertaining the social media generation, has seen their YouTube channel attract more than 200,000 in just three years. Today, with over 150 million channel views, Next Gen Poker are rising stars on the content creation scene (as the video above shows).
Steve Preiss, VP of PokerStars North America, said Next Gen are the ideal ambassadors because they capture the “fun and excitement” of poker. Adding to this, Tom Wheaton, Next Gen Poker’s manager, said the deal will “usher in a new era of poker entertainment” based on innovation, accessibility, and engagement.
Next Gen Poker to shake up PokerStars’ content game
The power of social media in poker can’t be understated. Vloggers such as Ethan Yau, aka Rampage, have taken over in more ways than one over the last three years. Yau has a similar number of YouTube subscribers as Next Gen Poker and the majority of his videos now get upwards of 500,000 views.
These viewing figures have, of course, been helped by the fact Yau has won over $2 million in poker tournaments in the last three years. Jack, Rosey, and Frankie of Next Gen Poker haven’t won quite as much in tournaments but they’re no less capable.
This ability to understand the nuances of poker while making the game accessible to casual viewers is what PokerStars’ Steve Preiss is banking on. Poker is always evolving and working with a new trio of social media stars will give PokerStars another way to shake things up both in the US and the world at large.
